Sociology of the Youth

2022/2023

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

5

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Sociology

Course type:

Elective course

When:

3 year, 1, 2 module

Instructors

Epanova, Yulia

Polyakov, Svyatoslav

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course focuses on the history and current state of youth studies. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the emergence of youth topics in the academic sociological tradition and the main theoretical approaches to conceptualizing the diverse practices of youth, as well as mastering the basic empirical methods used in studying young people The course will deal with questions of gender and sexuality, ethnicity and religiosity, the position of young people at the modern labour market, forms of citizenship and activism, etc. A distinctive feature of the course is its reliance on the empirical research of the Centre for Youth Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics - St. Petersburg, with the main methodological approaches and results of which students will be able to become acquainted.

Learning Objectives

• The course aims to introduce students to the theoretical approaches and current state of youth studies

Expected Learning Outcomes

• The student knows the basics of subcultural and post-subcultural theory as well as modern approaches to the analysis of youth.
• The student is able to interpret sociological theories and apply them to his/her own research.
• The student is able to design, develop, and present a research project.
• The student demonstrates the ability to work with theoretical and empirical materials

Course Contents

• Theoretical aspects of youth studies
• Being young: dimensions of youth culture and everyday life
• Applying the theory

Assessment Elements

• In-class Participation
  In-class partisipation involves participation in seminar classes in the course. It involves discussion of academic/publicistic articles read in the course. a prerequisite for receiving a minimum positive grade is attendance at the seminar. A higher grade requires participation in a discussion
• Homework
  Homework consists of reading the text and completing the assignments within a certain time period. A total of 4-5 texts will be included in the homework. The total grade for the homework will be calculated as an average.
• Final exam
  The final exam is held in the form of presentations of final group projects. The task of a group project is to apply the knowledge and optics learned in the course to an analysis of a product of popular culture (film, performer, etc.). Students must form mini-groups of 4-5 people, formulate a topic, and coordinate it with the course instructor. The topic cannot be general descriptive, but must have a clear research focus.

Interim Assessment

• 2022/2023 2nd module
  0.3 * Homework + 0.4 * In-class Participation + 0.3 * Final exam

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Brake, M. (1985). Comparative Youth Culture : The Sociology of Youth Cultures and Youth Subcultures in America, Britain and Canada. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=79714
• Gildart, K., Gough-Yates, A., Lincoln, S., Osgerby, B., & Worley, M. (2017). Youth Culture and Social Change : Making a Difference by Making a Noise. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1361964

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Best, A. L. (2007). Representing Youth : Methodological Issues in Critical Youth Studies. New York: NYU Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=200896
• Schwartz, M., & Winkel, H. (2016). Eastern European Youth Cultures in a Global Context. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1231178